Multi-tube skylight

ABSTRACT

A roof-mounted skylight having a plurality of distribution tubes. Natural light is directed through a dome on the skylight into a light collector box attached to the dome. The plurality of distribution tubes are coupled to the collector box and distribute natural light passed through the dome to rooms within the building.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application claims priority to Provisional Application No. 60/375,418 filed Apr. 26, 2002 and entitled “Multi-Tube Skylight”, said application being incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention generally relates to the field of natural lighting systems and more particularly, is directed to a skylight having a plurality of distribution channels or tubes for directing natural light to a plurality of rooms within a building.

[0003] The design and use of lighting systems in a building or home is often the subject of much consideration and attention. Not only must the lighting system meet the illumination needs of the room, the system must also complement the mode and desired ambiance.

[0004] In recent years, the introduction of natural light into a room has become increasingly popular. Driven by economic and artistic taste, natural light is cost free, more pleasing to the eye and more relaxing to room occupants than man-made light. In addition, natural light can enhance the atmosphere of a room in ways not possible with man-made light. Living plants also respond better to natural light than they do to most types of man-made light.

[0005] Natural light often is introduced into an interior room of a home or building by way of a skylight. Skylights usually comprise a transparent dome or cover mounted on the roof of the home. A reflective tube is connected to the dome and is routed to a diffuser mounted in the ceiling of the room to be lighted. Thus, natural light striking the dome reflects downward through the tube and into the room through the diffuser.

[0006] A number of styles and designs exist in the art for various embodiments of a skylight. The idea of using a tube made of reflective material to deliver natural light into a building or room of a home is not new. Each of the current designs, however, is limited to a single output for each dome or bubble on the roof. As the number of skylights desired increases so does the labor cost, material costs and possibility for leaks and subsequent water damage. Accordingly, there is a need for a skylight of multi-tube design which minimizes the number of cutouts in the roof, and thus the potential for leaking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an objective of the present invention to provide a muti-tube skylight which can be used to illuminate a plurality of rooms in a building;

[0008] It is another objective of the present invention to provide a muti-tube skylight which is economical to build and install; and

[0009] It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide a muti-tube skylight which can be readily installed and which can serve as a source of natural light for a plurality of rooms in a building.

BRIEF DESCRIPTON OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present invention will be better understood with reference to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0011]FIG. 1 illustrates a multi-tube skylight in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] FIGS. 2-4, 7 and 9 illustrate various embodiments of a solar port design for a multi-tube skylight in accordance with the present invention;

[0013]FIGS. 5, 6, 10 and 11 illustrate a multi-tube skylight mounted in a roof cutout in accordance with the present invention; and

[0014]FIG. 8 is graph illustrates various light transmissions in accordance with the angle at which the light enters the distribution tubes in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0015] The present invention is a new tubular skylight system that minimizes the number of roof openings and delivers an even amount of light to multiple locations inside a building or rooms of a home. The design includes the following parts:

[0016] 1. roof dome or bubble

[0017] 2. solar port

[0018] 3. light delivery system

[0019] 4. interior diffusion system

[0020] The purpose of the solar port is to allow as much solar light as possible to be captured by the light delivery system for delivery into the home. Also, it is important that the light delivered to the interior be as consistent as possible in intensity from room to room throughout the day. Several embodiments of the invention will be described as follows.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, converging tubes at the roofline maximizes the size of the solar port relative to the roof opening and minimizes the amount of sunlight that is reflected back toward the sky. Thus, maximizing the sunlight transmitted into the home. This design is effective at reflecting sunlight down the delivery system.

[0022]FIG. 2 illustrates a box design that maximizes the opening are of the tubes that form the delivery system. The tubes enter the box at an angle thus making the end of the tube an oval not a circle. This increases the size of the opening to the tube and allows more sunlight to be captured by the system. This design is effective at capturing sunlight and transmitting it to the interior of the home.

[0023]FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a solar port designed so that the ends of the tubes in the light delivery system are as close to the roofline as possible. The tube is perpendicular to the surface of the box and parallel to the roofline. The box design is kept square or rectangular.

[0024] This design is effective at capturing sunlight and transmitting it to interior of the home. The shallow design of the box reduces the shadow effect of the box sides as the sun changes angles in the sky. The light level in the interior of the home remains consistent throughout the day. The rectangular or square shape of the box makes rotating the box 90 degrees for installation purposes possible without effect on the resulting light level to the interior of the home. The manufacturing of this design is not complicated and easy to adapt to multiple delivery systems.

[0025] In FIGS. 5-7 and 9-11 the solar port (box) from FIG. 3 was flattened and re-enforced with a galvanized “c” channel. This design eliminates any shadows created by the box. The tubes pass through the port in a perpendicular orientation while the port itself is parallel to the roofline or flush with the top of the curb (which may not be parallel with the roof.) This design maximizes the amount of direct light that enters the tubes as is shown in the data below. Also see the graph in FIG. 8. Light Area Lit Shadow Total Angle (Sq. in) (Sq. in) (Sg. in) 45° 100 100 200 30° 57.74 146.26 200 15° 26.8 173.2 200

[0026] This design appears to be the most effective at delivering direct light from all angles tested. The design is simple and uncomplicated making manufacturability good. Adaptation to multi opening is easily accomplished.

[0027] In accordance with the present invention, all joints in the system are sealed with either tape, sealant or a gasket. It is important that humidity be kept out of the system. The lens on the ceiling is sealed with a gasket, the tubes are sealed with duct tape and the dome is sealed with sealant. Also, the dome itself is a sealed unit.

[0028] The solar port shown in FIG. 5 is not a box but rather a flat sheet of galvanized steel. The top of the reflective tube starts at the top surface of the galvanized sheet. As the depth of the box is decreased the performance increased. Taking the depth to zero maximizing that aspect of the design.

[0029] The tubes start at the top surface of the solar port. Therefore, relative to the roof, the tube starts at the top of the curb that is attached to the roof.

[0030] The solar port can be either square or rectangular depending on the configuration. These shapes are easier to install than other shapes because the opening can be cut without the use of templates.

[0031] All of the tubes exit the solar port at 90 degrees. They converge at the solar port but not into each other.

[0032] While there have been described what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and it is therefore intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

We claim:
 1. A roof-mounted skylight adapted for directing natural light to a plurality of rooms in a building, said skylight comprising: a dome mounted on said roof through which natural light can pass; a light collector box attached to said dome for collecting natural light passed through said dome; a plurality of distribution tube coupling devices attached to said collector box; and a plurality of distribution tubes coupled to respective said plurality of distribution tubes for distributing natural light passed through said dome to said plurality of rooms in said building. 